Remote control manipulator



Sept. 25, 1956 Filed April 12, 1955 R. C. GOERTZ ET AL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR 17 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. Gor-:RTz ET AL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR 17 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1955 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ETAL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR 17 'sheets-sheet s Filed April l2, 1955 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. Goi-:RTZ ET AL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 17 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 25, 1956 R, Q GOERTZ ET AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CNTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 17 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TORS Raymond 6T GoerZ] Bala 72d G. Sojz 77'1 z'iif, .fr Robe'f 5f' Olsen y//MQ M Hforney Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL REMOTE coNTRoL MANIPULATOR 17 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April l2, 1955 INVENTORS a ze; H .ian r me .w G h l5 4 Z 660 5 ,ma JW @my /l U, B i f y 0 AxZZ l fuir. l

Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET' AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April l2, 1955 17 Sheets-She'et '7 A INVENTORS Raymond C Goerij Kola 77d 6, 5G72 777125Z, Il? Robert /SFOZsen 133,/ /ffM/QM v Harizeg Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 17 sheets-sheet e INVENTORS Raymond 6 60 e173 Roland 6. 5d wz'fzjfr Roberl E OZse?? Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL 2,754,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 1v sheets-sheet 9 KNN Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 17 sheets-sheet 1o IN V EN TORS Raymond 6. 60621275 Pola 77d G. Sch 77712715.79.' Roe 72' E /se 7? i'o I'z ey Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET A1. 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April l2, 1955 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 11 Fig- 22 A /777 v 2.56' A 255 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April l2, 1955 1'? Sheets-'Sheet 12 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL .2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR 17 Shets-Sheet 14 Filed April 12, 1955 al. U? M@ r? W @ai j www0. 12H i ZM ZM .0 M y Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz ET AL REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR 17 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed April l2, 1955 Sept 25. 1956 R. c. Gol-:RTz ET AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CGNTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April 12, 1955 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 a 246 F25- E5 w g 0 IN V EN TORS Rayrvona/C. Gael-Z5 Poland 6. czmf'ijj.' Rober? i 0/5 e 72 Sept. 25, 1956 R. c. GoERTz z-:T AL 2,764,301

REMOTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Filed April l2. 1955 17 Sheets-Sheet 1'7 nited States Patent REMDTE CONTROL MANIPULATOR Raymond C. Goertz, Lemont, Ill., Roland G. Schmitt,

Jr., Fort Worth, Tex., and Robert A. Olsen, Lemont,

Ill., assignors to the United States o f America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Application April 12, 1955, Serial No. 501,008 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to a remote-control manipulator of the type by which movements of a handle engaged by an operator are reproduced in a claw or grasper engaging an article to be manipulated. More specifically, the handle and grasper are connected to the lower ends of vertical master and slave arms mounted on t-he ends of a horizontal support.

It is contemplated that a remote-'control manipulator will have to extend through and operate o`n both sides of a Wall barrier, because the claw or grasper performs its manipulations in a dangerous area and the handle will be engaged by a human hand in a safe area separated and shielded from the dangerous area by the wall barrier.

In installing a manipulator for use there are some drawbacks in providing the slave and master arms separately in the dangerous and safe areas and then connecting them to the support in the wall barrier. According to the 'present invention, the slave arm is connected to the support and is then inserted from the safe area through the wall barrier to the dangerous area as the support is brought into place in the wall barrier. Such a mode of installation is made possible by an arrangement and construction in which the slave arm `extends in only one direction from its connection with the support, i. e., toward the grasper or claw and can be pivoted independently of the master arm into alignment with the support for insertion through the wall barrier. An additional advantage vof this arrangement is that less headroom in the dangerous area is required for operation of the slave arm and the attached claw.

The same general arrangement is applied to the master arm, for its connection with the support is quite near one end of the master arrn, and almost all of the master arm lies to one side of its connection with the support.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will be obvious from lche specification and the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an -elevational view, partly in section, showing the remote-control manipulator of the present invention mounted in a shielding wall;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view with parts broken away, of a master arm of the manipulator;

Fig. 3 is an elevational View, with parts broken away, of a slave arm of the manipulator;

Fig. 4 is an elevational View of a wrist joint used to connect the handle to the master arm or the gripper arm to the slave arm;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4, showing details of the wrist j'oint;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig, 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5, showing the lower end either of the master arm or the slave arm;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, showing Vthe attachment of a tape to a drum;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the portion of the master arm within the area 9 in Fig. 2 but from the opposite side, i. e., the back, and more particularly, the lower 2,764,301 Patented Sept. 25, 1956 end of a vertically fixed bracket and a part of a structure vertically movable therein;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view taken in a downl ward direction on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken in an upf ward direction on the line 11-11 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the structure of Fig; 11, more particularly the attachment of a cable to the tubular structure of the master arm;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view showing the portion of the master arm within the area 13 in Fig. 2 but from the back, more particularly the upper end of the vertically movable structure and an intermediate poition of tlie kvertically fixed bracket;

Fig. 14 is -a horizontal 'sectional view taken along the line 14-14 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 15-15 of Fig. 1 3;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the portion of the master arm within the area 16 in Fig. 2, more particularly a counterweight and a portion of the vertically iixed bracket in which the counterweight moves;

Fig. 17 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 17--17 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is an end view showing the portion of the master arm within the area 18 in Fig. 2, more particularly, the upper end of the master arm;

Fig. 18a is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 18a-18a of Fig. 18 and showing mountings for pulleys adjacent -the pivot for' the master arm;

Fig. 19 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of the master arm, the adjacent end of the horizontal Support, and mechanism adjustably interconnecting the master arrn and the slave arm;

Fig'. 20 is an elevational View showing the upper end of the master arm', the adjacent end of the support, and the said mechanism adjusted to hold the arrns parallel;

Fig. 2l is an elevational View similar to Fig. 20 but showing said mechanism adjusted to hold the arms at right angles' to one another;

Fig. 22 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22-22 of Fig. 20 and showing t-he counterweight for the slave arm mounted adjacent the master arm;

Fig. 23 is a vertical section showing the portion of the slave arm within the area 23 in Fig. 3 but rotated '90 from -the position of Fig. 3, more particularly, the upper end of a vertically movable structure and an intermediate portion of a vertically fixed bracket that mounts the movable structure; Fig. r24 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 24-24 of Fig. 23, showing a vertical key on the vertically iixed bracket and rollers on the vertically movable structure engageable with the key to prevent rotation of the movable structure with respect to the fixed bracket;

Fig. 25 is a horizontal sectional view taken from above on the line y2'3-25 in Fig. 23, showing rollers facilitating vertical movement between the movable structure `and the fixed bracket;

Fig. 26 is a'hoiizontal section-al view taken from Abelow on the line 26-26 in Fig. 23;

Fig. ,"27 is a fragmentary view showing the portion of the slave arm within the area 27 in Fig. '3, v.more particularly, the lower end of the vertically fixed bracket and 'a portion of the vertically movable structure;

Fig. 28 is a horizontal sectional view taken 'from above on the line 28--28 of Fig. 27;

Fig. 29 is a fragmentary view showing the portion of the slave arm shown in Fig. 3, but rotated from the position of Fig. 27;

Fig. 30 is -a yhorizontal sectional view taken from below on the line 30--30 of Fig. 29;

Fig. 31 is a fragmentary vertical view showing the portion of the slave arm within the area 31 in Fig. 3, more particularly, the connection of the upper end of the slave arm to a horizontal support;

Fig. 32 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 32-32 of Fig. 31;

v Fig. 33 is a horizontal view of the portion of the slave arm shown in Fig. 31;

Fig. 34 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 34-34 of Fig. 31;

Fig. `35 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 35-35 of Fig. 32, showing the mounting of tape pulleys at. the upper end either of the slave arm or the master arm;

Fig. 36 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing how the opening and closing of the handle or gripper on the master arm causes opening and closing of the gripper on' the slave arm;

Fig. 37 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing how rotation of the master arm about a vertical axis produces rotation of the slave arm about a vertical axis;

Fig. 38 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating how rotation of the handle about two axes in the base of the master arm produces rotation of the gripper about two axes in the base of the slave arm;

Fig. 39 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating how vertical movement of the master arm produces vertical movement of the slave arm; and

Fig. 40 is a View similar to Fig. 35 but showing a modied construction in which the shafts for pulley guides are oscillated to reduce friction.

As shown in Fig. 1, the remote-control manipulator of the present invention comprises a horizontal support 50, a master arm 51, and a slave arm 52. The horizontal support 50 is generally horizontal and extends through a generally vertical shielding wall 53, being mounted therein on a sleeve or tube 54 set in the wall. The thickness of the Wall and the material thereof will depend upon the shielding purpose of the wall. If the wall is to shield an operator of the manipulator from radioactive emanation, the wall must be constructed of radiation-absorbing material such as concrete and/or iron, and be relatively thick. If the wall is to shield the operator from bacteria or other similar noxious matter, the wall 53 may be lrelatively thin. The wall is provided with a window 55' which has the same thickness as the wall and may be formed of laminated glass plates. The master and slave arms 51 and 52 are generally vertical and are pivotally Yconnected near or at their upper ends to the horizontal Isupport 50 on opposite sides of the shielding wall 53, the

master arm 51 being in a safe area to the right of the wall ,53as viewed in Fig. 1, and the slave arm 52 being to the .left of the wall 53 as viewed in Fig. l.

The master arm 51 comprises a stationary part 56 and ,a movable part 57, the stationary part being pivotally connected at 58 to the horizontal support, and the movand the movable part 60 being mounted on the stationary .part so as to be slidable therealong toward and away from the pivot 61. It should be noted that the stationary parts 56 and 59 of the master and slave arms 51 and 52 are not stationary in the strict sense of the word since they Vmay move about their pivots 58 and 61 on the 'support 50, but the term stationary is used to contrast -these parts with the movable parts, the stationary parts 56 and 59 being held against movement toward and away from the pivots 58 and 61, the movable parts 57 and 60 being, on the other hand, movable toward and away from these pivots. A handle 62 on the lower end of the movable part 57 of the master arm 51 is engaged by the hand of the operator and by appropriate movements transmitted along the arms 51 and 52, and the support 50 controls the movement of a grasper or claw 63 connected to the lower end of the movable part 60 of the slave arm 52.

It will be noted that the slave 'arm 52 does not project above the horizontal support 5t) and so can be moved into a horizontal position in alignment with the support 50, as shown in dotted lines, when the manipulator is being installed or removed from the wall 53. Since the slave arm 52 does not project above the support 50, little or no headroom is required in the dangerous or contaminated area above the mounting tube 54. The master arm 5'1 projects only a small amount above the support 50, and so only a limited amount of headroom is required in the safe area above the mounting tube 54.

For a detailed showing and explanation of the handle 62 and grasper 63, reference is made to Goertz et al., Patent No. 2,695,715, dated November 30, 1954, and more particularly to Figs. 2, 3, and 4 thereof for a showing of the handle, and Figs. `5, 6, and 7 thereof for a showing of the grasper.

Figs. 4, 5, 6,.and 7 of the present application show a wrist joint by which the handle 62 and the grasper 63 are mounted on the lower ends of the movable parts 57 and 60, respectively. The movable part 57 or 60 includes a tube 64 to the lower end of which a housing 65 for the wrist joint is secured by means of a pair of U-shaped adaptors 66. The housing 65 is formed of complementary halves 67 which are secured to one another by-means of a plurality of screws 68 which go through openings in one housing half 67 and are threaded into the other housing half. The housing halves 67 are secured to the bases of the adaptors 66 by screws 69, and the legs of the adaptors are secured to the tubes 64 by screws 70. The adaptors 66 engage the interiors of the housing halves 67 and the tube 64, and the spaces between the legs of the adaptors accommodate diametrically opposed grooves 71 which are formed in the exterior of the tube 64 and extend the length thereof. The purpose of these grooves will be described later.

The housing halves 67 receive the ends of shaft 72 on which is mounted a pair of members 73 by means of two pairs of ball bearings 74. Each member 73 has a pair of take-up sections' 75 and a spur-gear section 75a. The 'four take-up sections 75 in the form of a drum receive four metal tapes 767 77, 78, and 79, which have ends anchored in the take-up sections as shown in Fig. 8. As seen in this ligure, tape 78 extends a substantial amount around one of the sections 75 and goes through an opening 80 formed therein and thence about a ring 81 secured by a screw 82 andhalfway about a hu-b 83 formed on the member 73. The end of the tape 73 is clamped against the hub 83 by means of a wedge 84 which is held against the tape and the hub by means of a sockety screw 85, having threaded enga-.gement with the interior of a block 86 secured by a screw` 37 to the member 73. As seen in Fig. 7, the tapes 76 and 77 aire wrapped in opposite directions around the take-up section 75 of the one member 73, and thus if the tape 76 extends counter- .clockwise 'toward its clamped end as viewed in Fig. 8, a corresponding view of the tapes '77 'and the take-up section 75 to which it is attached would show the tape 77 to extend clockwise toward its attached end. The tapes 78 and 79 are clamped to the other member 73 and extend in opposite directions about the take-up sections 75 thereof. As seen in Fig. 5, for each member 73 there is -a single screw S2 attaching the two rings 81 to the member 73 and there is a single screw 87 attaching the two blocks 86 to the member 73.

The spur-gear section 75a of the members 73 mesh with idler gears 8S journaled by means of ball bearings 89 on shafts 90 mounted in the housing halves 67. The idler gears 88 in turn mesh with spur gears 91 which are `secured to beveled dierential gears 92 journaled by ball bearings 93 in the housing halves 67; A yoke 94 has trunnions 95 which are journaled in the differential gears 92 lai/means 0f .twofrairs Of.t a11.barngs96 like yds@ 9.4. als?? has a. Shaft 9T which .by msanSfOttWQ-Ual1be-arings 98. journals a bevel gear99 which is in mesh with the differential gears 92. vThe bevel ,gear 99 is heldin mesh with the differential seis v92,195/ means of a Snap ring 1 00 which is at the lowerside of the lower lball bearing 98.y Angular movement oftheyoke 94about thetrunf nien-S95 is limited by means of pegs'llninserted into and secured to the yoke, a'sshown in Fig.;` 6. Whenthe pegs 101 engage ears 10-2 f orrnedpn the housing halves 67, the yoke can swing no farther. krThe hand-1e 62 or the Vgrasp 63 is secured to the bevel gear 99. Pegs 103 which areset in the housing halves 67 lie in the paths of, pegs 104 which are set in thedifferential gears 92. Engagement of the pegs 104 with ,the pegs 103l limits the angularmovement of the dierential gears 92 in both directions, and since the take-up sections 75 are geared to the diieiential. gears Y912, the angular movement of the take-up sections 75 is limited so that the tapes 76, 7.7;v 78, and 79 are protectedfrom `beingbent back upon themselves at the openings 80 in the. take-up sections 7.5. A guide pulley 105 is journaled on, the shaft 712 by means of a ball bearing 106 between .the members 73. The pulley 105 is engaged by a cafble 107 which extends the-reover and between two guide: pulleys 108 jsournaled by bali bearings 109 on the yoke 94, as shown in Fig. 6. The cable 107 extends from the pulleys 103 throughthe shaft 97 of the yoke 94 to the handle 62. or grasper 63 to which it is connected in the manner disclosed'more fully in the aforementioned Goertz et al. Patent No. 2,695,715. Because ofthe proportions of the takeup sections 75, the spur-gear sections 75a, the spur gea-rs 91, and the differential gears 92,. the tapes 76,77, 78, and '79 move about twice as far as poi-nts on the pitch circles of lthe differential gears 92', ,and thusV the load transmitted vto the tapes is about hallf that imposed at the differential gears. This enables the .manipulator of the present invention to take greater loads.

Reference is now made to Figs. 31, 32, and 33 for a showing of the construction by which the slave arm 52 is connected to the support 50. previously stated, the stationary part 59 of the slave arm is connected to the support 50 for movement about a pivot 61.A This pivot is formed by a vpair of threaded stub shaifits108a and a pair of ears 109 in which the shafts 108g are journaled by means of ball bearings 110. The ears 109 form part of a yoke 1=11 which is secured within one end of the sup-- port 50 by means of fastening screws 112. Locating pins 1113 which extend into the end ofthe support 5,0 .and yoke 111 help to position the yoke with respect to the support. The yoke 1111 has a web portion 114 which interconnects the ears 109. Y

The stub shafts 108g have threadedengagement with vertical side pieces 115 forming part of a framework 116 which constitutes the upper end of` the stationary part 59 of the slave arm 52. lam nuts 117 threaded on the shafts 108a hold them vagainst movement with respect to the side pieces 115. The framework 116 also includes horizontal cross pieces 1.18 to which the verticaly side pieces 115 are secured by screws 119. rIlhe cross pieces 1118 extend between the intermediate and' lower portions of the side pieces 115, and a spacer rod 1120 extends between the upper pontions of the side pieces 1=15 tohold themr apart. Reduced ends 121 on the spacer rod` 120 titgin openings in the side pieces 115, and the shoulders formed between the end portions 1121 and the body portion of the spacer rod engage the side pieces 115. The framework 1-16 is secured to the upper end of a tubular guide 122 which also forms part of the stationary part 59 of the slave arm 52. The upper cross piece lof the framework 116 is secured to the upper end of the tubular guide 122 bymeans of a set screw 123 and the lower cross pieces 1178 rest against a shoulder 124 formed on the tubular guide122.

As shown in Figs. '27 to 30, a bracket 125 is secured to thelower end of the tubtllar guide 122by rneanslof a plurality Vof screws 126, which pass through the tubular guide 122 and have threaded engagement witha portion of the bracket 125 fitting within thelowerw end of, the tubular guide. Along ring 127 is rotatably mounted within the bracket 125 by means 0f an upperset of rollers 123 and a lower set of rollers 129. The rollers are journaled in thebracket 125, the upper set 128 being headed stub shafts 130 yand the lower set 129 being headed stub shafts 131. The upper rollers 128 extend through recesses 132 in the bracket 1275V and an external groove in the upperend of they ring 1,27 so as to retain `the same in the bracketr125. The lower rolls 129 are positioned below the bracket 125 so as to engage portions of the ring 127 extending beyond thebottom of the bracket 125..

The lower end of the lring 127 is provided with an enlarged take-up portion 133` carrying two grooves 134, which receive cables 135 and 136, the ends of which are anchored in passages formedA in the take-up portion v`133 by means of hollow members 137 in which the Vendportions of the cables 135 and 136- are secured.l The members 137 are applied to thecable ends through openings 138 formed in the pulley portion 133 at the ring 127 and prevent lthe cable ends from being pulled out, because the members 137 are too large to go through the passages in the take-up portion 133 in which the cable ends lie. The bracket 125 has laterally protruding portions 139 whichprovide bearings for a shaft 140 on which guide pulleys 141 are mounted so as to guide the cables 135 and 136 vertically away from the horizontal grooves 134 inthe ring 127. The lower end 0f the ring 127 has two diametrically opposed axial extensions beyond the take-up portion 133. The extensions 142 provide mountings for fourshafts 143 which carry ',four rollers 144, The rollers 144 have axes lying in planes normal to the axis of the tube 64 and engage the sides of the grooves 71 formed inthe tube 64. For each groove 71 one roller 144 engages one side of the groove, and the other roller 144 on the same extension 142 engages thervothrer side of the same groove, the two rollers lying in planes generally perpendicular to one another. The rollers 144 constitute a means for keying thev tube 64 Yto the ring 127, whereby a rotational movement of the tube 6,4 withV respect to the ring 127 is prevented and axial movement ofthe tube 64 with respect to the ring 127 is permitted.v

Reference is now made to Figs. 23 to 26. To the upper end of the tube 64 of the slave arm 52 there is secured a short tubular section 145 by means of an adaptor ring 146, which is attached to the tube 64 by screws (not shown) and to the tubular section 14,5,by brazing or welding. The tubular section 145, which is smaller in diameter than the tube 64, is journaled for rotation in a head 147V byrneans of ball ,bearings 148. The bearings 148, a collar 149, secured to the upper end of the tubular section 145, and a shoulder formed on the adaptor ring 146 prevent axial movement of the tube 64 and the Ytubular section 145 with respect to the head 147. A ring 150 carrying a plurality of' upstanding posts 151 is secured to the upper end of the head 147.n The posts 151 carry rollers 152 which ride onthe interior of the tubular guide 122 so as to' permit the head 147 movement along` the axisof the tubular guide 122. Any appreciable'rotational movement of the head 147 with respect to the tubular guide 1227is preventedby4 means of an axial key 153 secured tothe interior of the tubular guide 122 by screws 154 and a pair of rollers 1.55 engageable with the key 153 and journaled on shafts v156 set in an upstanding post 157 formed on the ring y150. l Y A ring 158 issecured, to the .lower end ofthe head 147 and carriesa pair of depending. hangers 159 vwhich have bifurcated lower y ends. carrying pins extending through loops on the ends of tapes and 161. As shown in Figs. 27, 28, and 29, these tapes extenddownwardly from the hangers 159 between the tube64and the tubular guide 122 over guide pulleys 162 out through 

